Weakest Link, Strongest Heart
by LuigiWife1551
Summary: Neil knew he was the weakest of the seven. But that didn't mean he wouldn't protect his friends, no matter what the cost. Now he finally understood and his pain has been eased. First fanfic for this fandom, so any advice will be appreciated! Rated for safety.


**Hello all! This is my first Class of the Titans fanfiction and I've already decided that Neil is my favorite hero of the seven- I find that he is more...I don't know, just cooler and misunderstood because of his weak contributions to the team. I'm a sucker for these types of characters.  
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**Anyways this story is a one shot. This is my first time writing in this fandom, so I hope you all enjoy it, and forgive me for any vagueness. **

**I own nothing. Rated for safety and for character death.**

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**Weakest Link, Strongest Heart**

Neil struggled to stand to his feet as Cronus chuckled above him. His whole being burned, and it was not a good thing. The blonde could not fathom how he had gotten in this mess, but another question crossed his weary mind as he gripped the weapon he had gotten lucky enough to find- a long, somewhat sturdy staff he had gotten his hands on when he ran out of the dorm room that morning.

_'Where... are they... '_

Cronus grinned madly as he threw one of his golden sickles at the golden boy's head. Neil barely managed to roll away, trying quickly to stand and continue his defense,but he soon regretted it- his body screamed at him, pain flaring from every bone. He let out a pained cry, failing to notice the second sickle coming head on at him... until Cronus sneered from above him:

"Say... GOODBYE!"

The next thing Neil remembered was a searing pain in his right abdominal side, followed by a sickening tearing sound as his flesh ripped from his body. He couldn't let out so much as a cry; it left him in a state of shock.

His eyes widened as the first rivers of blood ran down his spotless white and black shirt and dripped onto the ground below. Looking back up at Cronus, he realized he was staring Death in the face. He was alone, his only source of fighting back now lay next to him, and he could feel weaker by the second as his life force drained out of him.

"What's the matter, Neil? Luck finally run out?!" the evil God laughed, amused at watching the lone Chosen Hero bleeding. He stared right into Neil's eyes as he held his hand up to the somewhat large six legged insect-like creature that was posed to finish Neil off.

"No.. I want to personally watch this little worm suffer slowly..."

Cronus took his time advancing to the injured model, and Neil grabbed at his staff, still having a little fight left in him. His other instinct- to try and call Jay again and let him know what was going on- escaped his muddling mind as he stood shakily in front of the Titan.

"S-St...Stay back... I-I'm warning you..." Neil tried to sound threatening but failed terribly. His head spinning, he swallowed back bile that was threatening to come up and didn't seem fazed when Cronus's red eyes bored into his.

"You're joking, right? You can't possibly except to defeat me like that?" He grinned as he noticed Neil's eyes starting to close. With one swift movement, he kicked the staff out of Neil's hands and had the young man on the ground. Neil coughed and when he pulled his hand back, Cronus took the time to mess with Neil's cracking psyche.

"How does it feel, Neil? YOU are the reason why the Prophecy will not come to pass... 7 heroes would be the end of me, but without your friend's weakest link..."

Neil turned to look at Cronus with a confused, hurt look on his face. "N-No... I'm not the... the weakest..."

"Look at you! You never fought a battle in your life without your stronger, formidable friends to save you! You are useless without ANY weapon, and it seems even your luck as run out this time! Tell me, what did your friends think of you? Did they really believe YOU of all people will ever learn to fight and stand on his own when all he cares about is himself?"

Neil realized he had heard this before... and it stung... a lot more than he wanted to admit. His hand slipped from his wounded side, his eyes glassy but wide with understanding.

"I... I do care... about them... about the gods..." he whispered.

Cronus laughed, plucking Neil's phone from the ground. He realized that Neil had been calling for help... and to his utter glee, no on responded.

"Really? You care about your friends? Because it seems to me..."

Showing the phone to Neil, he finished, "... they can care less about you."

Through a hazy view, Neil finally realized that even with his GPS locator on, even with the number of times he sent an SOS pleading for assistance... Jay oddly enough never answered. No one did.

It was then Neil finally smiled.

"I guess... they don't care..."

Cronus's grin grew wider as he watched the last of Neil's strength leave him. It was right as he passed out from loss of blood that Neil thought he heard Jay's voice screaming his name. But that wasn't right...

They didn't come for him... they left him to die, but Neil realized he did something no one would have ever thought possible.

He fought alone. Even when his luck finally ended, even when he knew he should have given up and ran and had Jay and the others fight this madman and his horrifying creature, Neil didn't care about himself or his looks for once in his young life.

He fought. He may of lost the battle, but... he won something as well.

'I... actually... did it...'

And it was that one happy thought that brought the blonde into unconsciousness.

'I...I'm sorry... I failed you all..."

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"Neil's in trouble!"

It was the sight of blood that had Theresa choking on her next sentence as Jay tried to get her to talk. Archie looked back from the TV where he, Atlanta and Herry were busy watching a movie.

"From what, his mirror? Knowing him he broke it running like a girl!" Atlanta laughed. Jay shook his head, shaking Theresa by the shoulders- she was frozen stiff for a brief moment before she looked up at Jay.

"Neil... he's dying..."

The room wen quiet and still. "W...What? Neil? OUR Neil?" Archie asked, a little sick to his stomach. The orange head nodded.

"Y-You're kidding! That's a joke... right?" Herry asked, growing uneasy from the lack of laughter that should've followed.

"No... guys, Neil's bleeding to death and Cronus did this! We need to find him!"

"But why didn't he call us for backup? Especially since he had no weapon?!" Odie asked as he grabbed his phone to track Neil's exact location. He stopped just as he reached the threshold of the door, a horrid expression on his face. Jay caught sight of it.

"Yo, Odie? You okay?"

Holding up his cell, Odie quietly spoke. "Guys... Neil did call for our help..."

Jay blinked in confusion before he quickly dug into his pocket and retrieved his phone. Sure enough, Neil had sent several SOS messages within the two hours he had been missing since he ran out the dormitory. The remaining Chosen Heroes did the same thing- and each had the exact same look of horror on their faces.

No one had heard him. No one had checked their phones except for Archie, and he had disregarded it, thinking Neil was playing another practical joke.

"No... no, no, no, no, NO!" the purple haired teen yelled in anger. He slammed his fist into the closest object he could- which just happened to be Herry's fist.

"Neil... guys, we need to get to him NOW." Jay ordered as he made a swift move for the exit.

Herry wasted no time in grabbing his truck keys. Without a second to lose, Odie grabbed his bag which contained a first aid kit, and with the GPS services, the gang headed out to find their fallen friend.

'Neil... I'm so sorry... just hang on a little longer...' Jay thought before being crushed with guilt.

If Neil didn't make it... if they lost the arrogant blonde because of what they did, what they said to him earlier... Jay would never forgive himself.

It didn't take long for them to find the location where Neil made his last call. All jumped out of the truck and ran inside an abandoned building, going lower and lower until the reached what appeared to be the basement.

There, slumped against the wall covered in blood and sitting in a quickly growing pool of it, was their fallen friend. His hair, the pride and joy of the model, was a rumpled mess and had blood dried in it. More blood slowly traveled the corner of his mouth onto his once pristine white and black shirt. He looked terribly pale and his wound was deep- he was losing blood by the second.

Even with his still expression, the small smile on his face Jay noticed wasn't one of pain. If anything, he felt that Neil looked... peaceful.

"L-Look at this..." Atlanta had spotted something near Neil's body, and when she brought it back, everyone's fears were confirmed.

It was the same staff Neil had used to fight off Cronus and his little 'pet'. Blood and a strange symbol covered what was left of it. "He... he actually fought Cronus... by himself..." Theresa mumbled in shock. Jay quickly ran past her, straight to their fallen comrade.

"Neil?! NEIL!"

Jay had ran past his friends, toward the blood- covered teen. Scooping him into his arms like a child, he tapped his cheek, hoping to get some kind of a response. He sighed in relief when he heard a small, pained moan.

"Neil, can you hear me? It's Jay." Jay said softly. The rest of his friends surrounded them, Atlanta crying freely into Archie's arms. Herry stood there, looking and feeling hopelessly lost, and getting increasing angry. Theresa knelt by Jay's side, a delicate hand reaching out to brush away some of Neil's strands stuck to his face. Odie had slumped to the ground, his bag clattering next to him. He shook his head in denial and realization he didn't want to say.

_'He's not coming home.. we lost him...' _he numbly thought.

"Come on, open your eyes..." Theresa spoke softly, stroking Neil's sweat and blood covered forehead as if he were a child. Jay didn't move, just kept one had pressed firmly against Neil's side and held him steady with the other arm.

Odie tossed the kit at Theresa before promptly turning around and throwing up his stomach contents. It was then Neil made a small, if not rather high pitched, whimper. His fingers twitched and without knowing it, his hand began to reach for something.

"N-Neil! Guys, he's waking up!"

Jay caught his friend's hand and held it closer to his injured side. Neil whimpered even louder and tried to curl into a ball to make that horrid pain go away.

"I'm... sorry..." the tired blonde breathed.

Jay smiled, unaware he was crying, and mentioned for Theresa to help him with the kit. "Listen to me, Neil. WE should be sorry. We just... we left you like this... but you fought so bravely..." Jay tried to explain without his tears getting in the way.

"Y-Y-You... you're n-not... mad?" Jay chuckled at the innocent tone his voice took. "Neil, why would we be? You fought alone, knowing your chances were slim, and you stayed until the end. We would never be mad at you..."

He sighed, wiping away some blood from Neil's mouth. "But we are so sorry for what we said about you. You are never useless or worthless to any of us, and we care too much about you to just let you die like this. You understand?"

Neil faintly smiled; somehow, those words meant more to him than anything else in the world. "T-thank you... thank you, Jay..." he whispered.

"Don't ever be sorry, Neil... you did fine. Just hang on a little longer, okay? We're getting you home."

At that point, Neil finally opened his eyes. Everyone seemed happy to see the model's grey eyes opened... until they gasped in sadness and disbelief.

Neil's eyes were glassy. Really glassy.

"N-No... he's... he's not gonna make it, is he Jay..." Atlanta asked in a small voice from where she and Archie stood behind them. Jay shook his head once, holding Neil closer for a reason he didn't understand. Neil didn't mind the contact- he was terrified, and even though they came too late, Neil was thankful they were there at all. He loved himself, yes... but he hated being alone.

Jay watched Neil floating in and out of his limbo-like state. Maybe it was because he was their friend, and even with all the stupidity and ridiculous obsessions with his looks... he was still a part of this team, a vital part at that. And now... they lost the one ray of sunshine they never stopped to think they had.

"... I did it... I... I fought... I fought him..." he breathed, that smile that made Neil... Neil still on his face. He suddenly began to cough, spitting up blood, and he groaned in pain. His chest hurt with each word spoke but he needed to tell them. He had to.

"I won, J-Jay... I... I did it, I... I won..." His words began to slur terribly and he was growing tired and cold and slightly disoriented. "I know, Neil... we all know and we're really proud of you..." Jay choked, trying his best to keep himself together.

Tilting his head up to see Jay and his friends more, he frowned briefly before he smiled once again.

"... no... n-n-no more... tears... 'kay..." he muttered before his eyes closed.

At that point, everyone in the room felt it. Neil wasn't going to be alright. He wasn't going to laugh and shriek and make his usual dramatic entrances or whine about battling Cronus.

Neil wasn't coming home. No one wanted to accept it but they knew, deep in their hearts, they had to. For Neil's sake.

Theresa bent down, a comforting hand on Jay's shoulder. The blonde lay shivering in Jay's arms before he opened his eyes one last time and asked him something Jay would never forget.

"... c-c-could... you make it... warm... p-please... it's cold, J-Jay... I'm so cold..."

Jay physically felt a stab in his chest as he listened to Neil's raspy breathing, looking at the pale, shaking teen in his arms, wanting to know if he could finally let it go. He wondered if Neil understood what he was asking, but the thoughtful expression- one Neil NEVER wore- on his face told him.

"I k-know... I'm g-g-gonna die... but it... h-hurts... and c-c-cold..." he kept whimpering, his voice unbelievably quiet and slurred. It was the next word the weak fighter spoke that finally caused Jay to break and give in.

"Please..."

With a broken sob, Jay nodded once and pulled Neil even closer to his own body, moving his hand from Neil's injury. The rest of the blood flowed freely as Neil smiled one final time, his eyes now completely glazed over, and his head lolled into his best friend's chest.

"Thank you..." No one saw Neil's lips move as he spoke those words, but they heard him.

Neil had never felt so free in his life. He had always felt alone, even when he stared at himself in the mirror, and claimed all he needed was himself. He knew better. He needed his friends and he hated how he was so much weaker than them, how he didn't have anything special about him, how he didn't even have his own weapon to fight with!

He thought modeling was what he needed... when he really needed- and wanted- were friends who would accept him and help him grow. After so long, he finally found them. He cherished everything he had with these people, whom he once thought to be insane.

Now he understood... what being a friend to them really meant. What being a god really meant. He knew he needed to grow up and be of use to them, and now... maybe he was. He finally fought his own battle. Even though it cost him his life, he didn't care. Somehow... protecting them meant more than himself. It... it was a good feeling, he numbly thought.

He hoped Cronus would perish in a painful manner. Knowing his friends, he probably would.

Neil's chest rose once more... then, with a content sigh, he peacefully died in Jay's arms.

No one moved. Herry was the first one who did anything, letting out an anguished yell as he starting throwing anything in his way. Odie simply took off his glasses and pounded the ground, angry tears rolling down his face and dripping onto the earth below.

"Why?! Why didn't we help him?! We should've known better than to let him leave alone!" he cursed at himself, at the others... he didn't know nor did he care.

Archie couldn't pretend to be strong for Atlanta any longer. The two sobbed heavily in each other's shoulders.

Theresa, through her own tears, looked at Jay, who was still staring at the now deceased Neil and not saying a word. "Jay... are you alright?"

"... yeah. I'm alright. I hope... I hope Neil's done hurting, Theresa... " he muttered quietly before he stood up. He knew he had to hold on his tears for a more personal time.

"What should we d-do?" she asked weakly.

"I honestly don't know. We have to let the gods know... and I guess... we go from there." Theresa noticed the break in Jay's voice, but wiped her eyes and said nothing about it. She knew he needed his own time to grieve.

With one comrade dead in their arms, the broken team of six started back to Herry's truck. No one know what to do next, but it was too much to think about it right that moment.

"Cronus... you will pay DEARLY for this..." Jay growled under his breath as he carefully laid Neil's body in the car. He brushed the last loose strand of blonde hair from his Neil's forehead and stepped aside.

"You will PAY for what you've done to our friend. Just you wait..."

Cronus grinned, his red eyes glowing with excitement. He chuckled as he watched his nemesis drive away from where he stood on a nearby building rooftop, and stroked his 'pet' lovingly. It purred in seeing that it pleased its master, and was more than willing to do it again. Sensing its eagerness to battle, Cronus shook his head and spun a random coin on the tip of his finger.

"Oh yes, Jay. We will see indeed..."

**END**

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**And complete!**

**Yeah, so this was one fandom I've only started getting into over this past summer since I had nothing else to watch. Neil really should have been given some kind of weapon in the show, but... I guess that's just me. **

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this. Please let me know how to improve on the characters or the story, leave a review, anything as long as it's not flames. It's not gonna help me get any better. **

**Until next time!**


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